1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automatic cooking method wherein automatic cooking is performed by sensing the quantity of vapor generated from food during the cooking process, and more particularly, to an automatic cooking method which enables cooking food for a proper period, irrespective of initial temperature of the food to be heated.
2. Information Disclosure Statement
Cooking food under the optimum condition is determined by the quantity of food, initial food temperature and the kind of heating means used. Also, the state of food being cooked depends on the period the food is heated at a particular temperature. Accordingly, cooking food under the optimum condition can be accomplished by determining the temperature of the food being cooked and heating the food for a predetermined period from the time that the food temperature reaches a desired level.
There are various methods for measuring the temperature of the food. For example, the food temperature may be indirectly determined by utilizing the relationship between the food temperature and the moisture generated from the food.
U.S. Pat. No. Re. 10,394 discloses a method for controlling the food cooking period by utilizing the relationship between the food temperature and the humidity caused by the food being cooked.
This patent illustrates an apparatus for regulating the period of heating food by utilizing a humidity sensor. The humidity sensor is positioned in an exhaust duct of the cooker and adapted for sensing the quantity of vapor exhausted from the food being heated. The heating of the food is continued until the generated humidity reaches a predetermined value. The food is further heated for a period which corresponds to the product of the previous heating time by a certain coefficient.
That is, cooking is performed under the condition that the humidity, i.e., the quantity of generated moisture, has been previously predetermined. Food is heated until the humidity sensed by the sensor reaches the predetermined humidity "Hi" as the quantity of moisture generated during the cooking is increased by the amount corresponding to the humidity increment ".delta.V", over the initial quantity of moisture generated at the moment cooking is initiated. Then, the food is further heated for the period T2, which is calculated by multiplying the previous heating time by a coefficient which is determined according to the kind of the food being cooked and the high-frequency wave output condition of the electronic range used in the cooking.
Even in the case of the same food, however, the time taken to reach the predetermined humidity may vary, depending on the temperature of the food to be cooked or the frozen condition of the prepared materials.
In the conventional cooking method, therefore, there is a problem that even in the same food, it may be overcooked or undercooked, depending on the initial heating condition, since the period from the time at which heating is initiated to the time at which the humidity reaches a predetermined level varies depending on the initial food temperature, thereby causing the taste and the quality of food to deteriorate.
That is, in the case of low initial food temperature, the food is cooked for a very long period, because the first heating time T1 is longer than that in a normal condition. Thus, the second heating time is lengthened. As a result, some nutritive elements in the food may be destroyed or the food may be burnt, thereby displeasing the taster's palate. On the other hand, when the initial food temperature is high, the time taken for cooking is short, thereby causing the food to be undercooked. Consequently, there is a disadvantage in that the taste of food can not be fully developed.